Aptean Routing & Scheduling Case Study: Wren Kitchens (UK)

Aptean Routing & Scheduling Paragon Edition

Wren Kitchens Drives Significant Cost Savings with Aptean’s TMS Software Suite Industry

Kitchen Retail

Challenges

» Manual planning processes couldn’t support business growth

» Need for comprehensive, scalable

operations and better service offerings

» Inefficient routing, limited customer service management and tracking

Benefits

» Increased operational efficiency and resource utilisation to reduce costs

» Optimised route plans that reduced miles travelled by up to 15%

» Improved customer delivery lead time by 60%

» Reduced carbon emissions by increasing truck capacity

Launched in 2009, Wren Kitchens is a leading provider of high-quality kitchens, known for its exceptional customer service and global presence. With over 108 showrooms and a dedicated fleet of over 250 trucks, the business delivers more than 3,000 kitchens per week.

Wren Kitchens boasts a workforce of over 7,500 employees, with transport operations supported by a team of 800 members across eight sites. Its commitment to delivering outstanding products and services has made it a trusted name and recognisable brand within the industry.

Scaling Rapidly to Meet Surging Demand As Wren Kitchens experienced rapid growth, it faced several challenges with its manual delivery planning processes. Tools like Google Maps and spreadsheets became inadequate to meet the demands of its expanding business.

“It wasn’t a scalable operation,” says Lee Holmes, transport and logistics director at Wren Kitchens.

“And we wanted to be able to manage a fast-growing business: to give time slots to the customers, while being able to manage and track our product. We’re in the home delivery business, and we wanted to give the best service possible to the customer.”

“With other routing software, there isn’t really a method to manage the capacity. With Aptean Routing & Scheduling Paragon Edition, you can manage and control that, which enables us to control production and maintain smooth operations.”

Lee Holmes, Transport & Logistics Director, Wren Kitchens

The existing systems could not provide the comprehensive and scalable operation that Wren Kitchens required.

It needed a solution that would enable it to offer better delivery services, enhanced route planning efficiencies and improved customer service to drive overall growth. Without a modern system, Wren Kitchens couldn’t do any of that effectively or efficiently.

Wren Kitchens also needed a solution that would provide real-time visibility and tracking capabilities to effectively manage its delivery operations.

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Implementing the Ideal TMS Solution Suite To address its pain points, Wren Kitchens required a comprehensive transportion management software (TMS) solution. The leadership team recognised the potential benefits the solution could drive and implemented Aptean’s TMS suite shortly after beginning its operation.

Aptean’s suite of TMS solutions provides complete visibility and control across Wren Kitchens’ transport operation with four purpose-built software platforms:

› Aptean Routing & Scheduling Paragon Edition for advanced route planning, scheduling and tracking with proprietary route optimisation algorithms to reduce costs and increase efficiencies

› Aptean Home Delivery Operations to meet growing customer expectations and better manage orders from purchase to delivery, increasing delivery success and enhancing customer communications

› Aptean Proof of Delivery Software to improve efficiency and enhance customer service with real-time visibility into delivery data

› Aptean Route Execution to cut transportion planning costs, improve on-time performance, enhance customer satisfaction and keep drivers happy

Excelling in Transport and Delivery Operations with Aptean Solutions With Aptean’s TMS products in place, Wren Kitchens experienced a significant transformation in its operations.

It was able to reduce mileage by up to 15%, resulting in considerable operational cost savings. The implementation also led to a reduction in carbon emissions and improved customer delivery lead time by up to 60%.

For anyone considering implementation, Holmes says go for it. He advises, “Start with it early in the business— the earlier you get it adopted in your business, the more seamless and easier it becomes.” Because Wren Kitchens implemented early, Aptean was able to support its global expansion, as it now operates in both the U.K. and U.S. That is one of the defining benefits of the Aptean solution for Wren Kitchens: its scalability. The platform allowed the business to flexibly manage its resource capacity, including vehicles and drivers. Taking into account production changes, customer delivery requirements and driver hours to produce smooth route plans has helped propel its growing business.

“There isn’t any manual paperwork or signatures. It’s all in one hub. With the resource capacity management tool, we can sort resources to achieve our routes. That, for me, is the best part of the system. It’s not just a route planning platform, for us, it’s the capacity management side that’s the most important. We can flex up and down with ease.

With other routing software, there isn’t really a method to manage the capacity.

With Aptean Routing & Scheduling Paragon Edition, you can manage and control that, which enables us to control production and maintain smooth operations.”

Lee Holmes, Transport & Logistics Director, Wren Kitchens

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“Dynamic planning allows our business to maintain a consistent manufacturing quantity to avoid peaks and troughs in the weeks production.”

Lee Holmes, Transport & Logistics Director, Wren Kitchens

This capability was crucial for Wren Kitchens to efficiently handle its increasing delivery demands.

Wren Kitchens implemented order pinning and dynamic planning functionality to further optimise its operation.

These tools allowed the company to consolidate kitchen and bedroom deliveries in the same vehicle— maximising vehicle fill from 92% to 94% and saving over 360,000 kilograms CO2 in the first year. With its steady growth, economies of scale have enabled Wren Kitchens to leverage these functionalities to reduce the overall mileage of its fleet as a whole and drive cost savings.

Holmes says, “Order pinning allows us to allocate routes on a longer time to maximise the lead time to bring in appliances and white goods. Dynamic planning allows our business to maintain a consistent manufacturing quantity to avoid peaks and troughs in the weeks production.”

Aptean’s Home Delivery and Proof of Delivery software also provided Wren Kitchens with greater transparency and insight into operations. With real-time delivery performance data, the operations team are able to identify areas where additional training or improvements are needed. They are also empowered to optimise its resource utilisation, decrease overtime and ensure worker hours are met.

Not only does this help the transport planners, but it also has benefits for the drivers. With the software, drivers no longer have to worry about maintaining manual paperwork. Within the solution’s mobile app, drivers can note exceptions, review customer specifications and capture delivery signatures.

Wren Kitchens’ transport planners have real-time insight into the delivery process and driver performance that can help them adjust plans as needed in real-time. These updates automate customer notifications to ensure timely communication and enhanced visibility to maintain customer satisfaction.

Holmes continues, “It’s not about Aptean growing with us. We’ve grown with Aptean, and by far, that is one of the biggest benefits of using the software. It allows us to better manage, scale up, grow the business and deliver exceptional customer experiences time and again.”

With the support of the Aptean TMS solution suite, Wren Kitchens is set for further growth.

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